A blog for all seasons; A blog for one; A blog for all. As the 11th most informative blog on the planet, I have a seared memory of throwing my Time 2006 Man of the Year Award over the railing at Time Warner Center.
Justice. Only Justice Shall Thou Pursue

A ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza seemed distant Thursday evening as the violence in the south of the country continued with at least 15 rockets and mortar shells exploding in Israeli territory, and Israeli air strikes that reportedly left two Islamic Jihad members dead.

The Code Red siren was heard throughout the Eshkol and Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Councils and in Ashkelon as 15 rockets and mortar shells fell throughout those areas, the IDF Spokesman's Office said in a statement.

There hasn't been so much a lull in the rockets as a pregnant pause because the terrorists are simply trying to coordinate activities among themselves to claim responsibility and to find new ways to blame Israel for a resumption of hostilities that began with the terrorist attack against Israel in Eilat.

Since then, Israel's response has been quite limited, even as more than 100 rockets, mortars, and missiles have been launched towards Israel causing deaths and injuries along the way.

Put another way:
But for the Palestinian terror attack, Israel would not have carried out airstrikes against PRC terrorists.
But for the PRC and Islamic Jihad reprisal attacks for those Israeli airstrikes, Israel would not have carried out further airstrikes.
But for the Gazan missile barrages, Israel would not have carried out still more airstrikes.

Simply put, but for the Palestinian terror attacks, Israel would not have had any reason to carry out defensive measures to eliminate terrorists attacking Israel and there would have been no casualties on either side.

From the Palestinian terrorist perspective, all this comes into sharp relief and focus: But for Israel's existence, we would not need to carry out terror attacks against Israel.

There would be no Palestinian casualties from any kind of Israeli airstrikes had the terrorists not carried out their attacks from the first. All these casualties lay at the feet of the terrorists in PRC, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad and their spinoffs who refuse to recognize Israel's right to exist and refuse to live in peace alongside Israel.